How to model electrical currents

How to Model Electrical Current

Imagine this: You’re sitting in your room, flick the switch and your light turns on instantly but have you ever wondered how that actually happens? The answer lies in electrical current. It’s like the invisible flow of energy that powers everything from your smartphone to your TV. Learning to model how this current works in a circuit will help you understand the basics of electricity and how it powers your everyday life. This is what Year 8 students have been looking at this last term.

What Is Electrical Current?

Electrical current is the flow of electric charge (usually carried by electrons) through a conductor, like a wire. Think of it as water flowing through a pipe. The more water that flows, the stronger the current. The same thing happens with electricity. When you connect a battery to a circuit, it pushes the electrons around, creating a current that powers your device.

In a circuit, this flow can be controlled, measured and used to perform tasks, like lighting up a bulb or running a motor but how can we model this flow?

Modelling Electrical Circuits: The Water Analogy

One of the simplest ways to understand how electrical current works is to compare it to something familiar: water flow. Here’s how you can break it down:

  • The Battery: Think of a battery like a water pump. The pump provides the energy to push water through pipes, just like a battery pushes electrons through a circuit.
  • The Wires: Wires act like water pipes. They guide the flow of electrons (like water) from one point to another. The wider the pipe, the easier it is for water to flow, just like thicker wires allow more current to flow through.
  • The Switch: A switch in your circuit is like a valve that can stop the flow of water. When the switch is open, the flow stops and when it’s closed, the current flows freely.

This analogy makes it easier to visualize how electricity moves through a circuit but there’s more to modelling circuits!

Modelling Electrical Circuits: The PGHS way!

Year 8 had to come up with their own way to model current.  They could choose whichever scenario they wanted. Some students were very creative and came up with an array of different ideas. We had a pollination theme, where the bees moved around with the pollen. We had many deliveries and post service themes delivering all sorts of different packages (electrical energy). We even had a kitchen mayhem scene, where a mouse was running around for some cheese. A selection from 8g/Sc3 are shown below.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the speed at which electrons move in a circuit is incredibly slow? While the electric signal travels close to the speed of light, the actual electrons move only a few millimetres per second!

Mr Dean

Science Teacher

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  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award